1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for arranging at uniform intervals at a stock yard materials or members in the form of bars such as aluminum alloy frame members which are usually supplied irregularly or at unequal intervals to the stock yard for supplying them to surface treatment stations such as anodizing, coating, painting and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In surface treatment of aluminum alloy frame bars or members such as anodizing and coating, it is required to arrange the members at uniform intervals in a surface treatment bath in order to obtain a uniform treatment effect. In prior art, however, a holding beam is provided with a number of fixtures such as bolts at an equal interval from which irregularly supplied members are hung by manual operation so that it is scarcely possible to keep constant the distance between the members. In addition, when members having varying configurations are hung, they are arranged at more unequal intervals.
For the same purpose, in the prior art, aluminum bars or members are connected to a holding frame by means of aluminum wires or bolts and nuts. Consequently, the number of the bars to be hung from one holding frame is limited to a small number and locations on the holding frame to secure the members are restricted at determined positions in the frame so that the number of the members to be treated is small and in addition the operation for securing the members to the frame is so complicated that it cannot be mechanized for saving human labor. Furthermore, in the case of an anodizing process followed by an electrodeposition coating process, part of the electrolyte used in the anodizing process often remains in the holding frame; this electrolyte can be carried over to the following coating process so that the coating material used in the coating process may gel to produce a gelation which will adhere to the aluminum members. The result is rejected articles and a lower yield rate. In addition, a residual electrolyte on the holding member must be removed in a cleaning process.
In prior art, moreover, frame members are arranged on a number of transfer trucks, and these trucks are pushed by a pusher conveyor to a treatment station. However, when trucks are stopped at a position, the frontmost truck will continue to travel owing to its own inertia. Members supported thereon can be dropped if each truck does not stop. The distance between trucks increases so that the members supported on a truck are not arranged at uniform intervals.